Player piano



May 17, 1960 P. F. MURDOCK 2,936,666

PLAYER PIANO Filed Feb. 6, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 HVVENTUR.

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May 17, 1960 Filed Feb. 6, 1957 P. F. MURDOCK PLAYER PIANO 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ..J INVENTOR.

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United States Patent PLAYER PIANO Paul F. Murdock, Clinton, Conn., assignor to Pratt, Read 3: Co., Incorporated, Ivoryton, Conm, a corporation of Connecticut Application February 6, 1957, Serial No. 638,499

14 Claims. (Cl. 8425) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in player pianos and more particularly to a piano having a player mechanism which includes a plurality of pneumatics of improved construction which are arranged to be operated by a vacuum system controlled by a perforated player roll.

The player piano was developed during the latter half of the 19th century and reached its highest state of development and popularity in the United States in the period from 1910 to 1925. In the 1920s the player piano was gradually displaced as a medium of recreation by the radio and the phonograph and almost completely disappeared during the 1930s and 1940s. In recent years, however, there has arisen a new demand for player pianos as a novelty device.

The player pianos of they 1920s were usually upright pianos having a pair of pedals for operating a vacuum pump which powered a vacuum system for the automatic player apparatus. The automatic player apparatus usually consisted of a bank of bellows or pneumatics which had a valve arrangement for individual actuations thereof. The individual pneumatics were arranged to actuate the hammer mechanism for the piano to cause individual notes to be struck. The pneumatics were controlled by tubes which were connected to a tracker bar having a number of holes therein. The piano was also provided with a playoff and windup reel for rolling a piano roll across the tracker bar. The piano roll would'have a plurality of perforations therein which could cover and uncover selected ones of the holes in the tracker bar and thus actuate individual ones of the pneumatics to strike selected notes on the piano. The pneumatics and their valves were controlled by the vacuum system and the motor for driving the player rolls usually a vacuum operated motor. Pianos are generally not susceptible to mass production techniques. With the development of the player piano there were required many additional structural parts which were often hand made or made in The high cost of skilled hand labor of this type today would make the production cost of a player piano prohibitive unless cheaper materials of construction and more efiicient methods of construction could be found.

it is therefore one object of this invention to provide a player piano of new and improved construction which utilizes parts which are constructed in a manner and of materials which are susceptible to mass production.

Another object of this invention is to provide a player piano of improved construction having an improved sysern of pneumatic actuators.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a player piano new and improved pneumatics which are simple to construct, easy to assemble and inexpensive to manufacture.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved valve assembly for a pneumatic of a player piano. V A further object of this invention is to provide a player piano having an improved means to control separately the treble and bass keys.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a player piano having a rewind mechanism with an improved control.

A feature of this invention is the provision in a player piano of a system of pneumatics having actuator rods which engage the underside of the inner ends of the piano keys.

Another feature of this invention is the provision in a player piano of an improved pneumatic which has a single one-piece rubber bag enclosing the stiffening leaves thereof and has the control valve mounted on the fixed leaf with part of the wall of the rubber bag functioning as a diaphragm actuator for the control valve.

A still further feature of this invention is the provision in a player piano of a system of pneumatics of small size which are supported in two horizontally extending vertically staggered rows and having closely spaced actuator rods for engaging the underside of the inner ends of the piano keys.

A still further feature of this invention is the provision in a player piano of a system of control valves to control selectively the application of variable vacuum to the treble or bass keys.

A still further feature of this invention is the provision, in a player piano, of a pneumatically operated gear shifting mechanism for rewinding the player rolls.

In the accompanying drawings, to be taken as part of this specification, there are clearly and fully illustrated preferred embodiments of this invention, in which drawings;

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a player piano showing the piano keyboard and pump pedals therefor together with the player rolls;

Fig. 2 is a right elevation of the piano shown in Fig. 1 with the pneumatic system and player mechanism shown schematically thereon;

Fig. 3 is a detail view partially in section of part of the keybed and keys of the piano and showing the system of pneumtics supported adjacent thereto and arranged for actuating the piano keys;

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing two of the pneumatics for actuating the piano keys together with part of one key and the hammer mechanism and piano string associated therewith;

Fig. 5 is a view in central section, and considerably enlarged relative to Figs. 1-4, of one of the pneumatics in an expanded inactive position;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the pneumatic as shown in Fig. 5 but showing the control valve in an actuated position and the pneumatic collapsed with the actuator rod moved upward for actuating one of the piano keys;

Fig. 7 shows a modified control valve construction;

.Fig. 8 is a detail view, similar to Fig. 3, of a modification of this invention in which a valve mechanism applies variable vacuum selectively to the treble or the bass keys;

Fig. 9 is a detail view, similar to Fig. 4, of the modification shown in Fig. 8 and showing the relative position of the diaphragm valves and the pneumatics; and

Fig. 10 is a detail view of a pneumatically actuated rewind mechanism for the player rolls.

This invention consists of an improved player piano mechanism. In this player piano there are provided a plurality of keys supported on a keybed for manual operation. There is provided an automatic playing mechanism which includes a vacuum system having a pair of pedal operated vacuum pumps, a vacuum chest, and a vacuum operated motor. A plurality of pneumatics are supported under the keybed and arranged to actuate individual ones of the piano keys. The pneuinatics consist of a combined diaphragm valve and bellows unit ena closed in a one-piece sack and connected to a tracker bar for control. The vacuum motor moves a perforated player roll over the tracker bar to uncover selected holes thereon and thus actuate the pneumatics to strike the keys and play selected musical notes. The vacuum chest may be divided to provide separate application of vacuum to the treble or the bass pneumatics. In such an arrangement a pair of diaphragm valves are provided to control the application of vacuum to the treble or bass portion of the vacuum chest. When a player roll is through playing it is rewound by actuating a pneumatic gear shift to reverse the direction of movement.

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference, and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown a player piano comprising a cabinet 12 and a keyboard 14 having a keybed 15 and a plurality of keys 17. At the upper part of the cabinet 12 there are a pair of sliding doors 16 which are shown in an open'position with the player rolls exposed. Within the open doors 16 there is a player roll 18 having a feed roller 20 and takeup roller 22 and which moves across a tracker bar 24 to control automatic operation of the piano. At the lower part of the cabinet .12 there are a pair of storage recesses 26 for storage of piano rolls. Also located at the bottom of the piano cabinet 12 are three pedals 28 which are used during manual operation of the piano. There are also provided a pair of pump pedals 30 which are actuated to drive the automatic playing mechanism. The pump pedals 30 are recessed within the cabinet 12 and thus do not need to be retracted when not in use as was the case of older player pianos.

In Figs. 2-4 the automatic player mechanism is illustrated in further detail. The pedals 30 are arranged to actuate a vacuum pump which is shown diagrammatically as 32. The pump 32 is connected by a suitable conduit 33 to a vacuum chamber 34. The vacuum chamber 34 is connected by the conduit 36 to a vacuum motor 38 having a suitable connection 40 for driving the takeup roll 22. The vacuum chamber 34 is also connected by a suitalble conduit 42 to elongated vacuum chests 44. The vacuum chests 44 has supported thereon a plurality of valve members 46 which support pneumatics 48 for actuating the piano mechanism. The pneumatics 48 each have actuator rods 50 which are arranged to strike the underside of the inner ends of the keys 17 to actuate the player mechanism.

In Fig. 4, it is seen that the inner end of the piano key 17 is raised when the key is struck to move the hammer mechanism 58. The hammer mechanism 58 includes a wippen 60 which actuates a hammer 62 to strike the piano string 64. The key 17 is provided with a cushion 54 on the keybed 15 to prevent undesirable noise from the keys. In Figs. 3 and 4 it is seen that the pneumatics 48 are supported on valve casings 46 which are in turn secured to and supported on the vacuum chests 44 as by bolts 47. The pneumatics 48 are arranged in parallel relation and extend horizontally in vertically staggered rows so that the actuator rods 50 are positioned closely together for actuation of individual ones of the keys 17 on the keyboard 14.

One of the pneumatics 48 is shown in detail in section in Figs. 5-7. The pneumatic 48 has a one-piece enclosed rubber sack 66 with a sleeved opening 70 at one side and a bellows sleeve or boot portion 72 in the center of the top thereof. There is also provided a hole '74 in the top portion of the rubber sack 66. This hole 74 is also used in assembly through which to insert the two leaves 76 and 78.

The rubber sack 66 is preferably formed of one piece of latex using a suitable dipping mold. Within the sack 66 there is a fixed rigid leaf member 76 and a movable rigid leaf member 78 which are preferably of molded plastic. The upper or fixed leaf member 76 has a central aperture 88 through which the actuator rod 50 extends through the sleeve or boot 72 so that the pneumatic is sealed against air leakage.

The fixed leaf 76 of the pneumatic 48 has an aperture or opening 84 which communicates with the control valve 46. The leaf 76 is also provided with a recess 86 and a side opening 88. The tracker tube 52 is inserted in the side opening 88 in the leaf 76 and is sealed against leakage by the sleeve portion 70 of the rubber sack 66. The portion 90 of the rubber sack 66 forms a pouch or diaphragm which closes the recess 86 on the upper side of the fixed leaf 76. The diaphragm 90 has a bleed aperture as at 94. The valve assembly 46 is secured to and supports the pneumatic 4-8 and consists of a two-piece valve casing comprising a casing portion and a cover portion 96. The valve casing 95 is secured to the vacuum chest 44 by bolt 47 as shown in Fig. 4. The casing 95 has an opening 98 communicating with the vacuum chest 44 and forming a passageway adjacent the diaphragm 90. The valve casing 95 has a valve port 100 therein which is closed by a metal ball valve 104 which is preferably formed of a light metal such as aluminum. The cover 96 has a valve port 102 which is aligned with the valve port 100 and closable by the valve member 104. A valve stem 106 extends into a recess in the valve member 184 and is integral with the disc 92 on the diaphragm 90. The valve stem 106 moves the valve member 104 between the valve port 100 and 102 in response to pressure changes across the diaphragm 90. The valve casing 95 also has a passageway 108 which is open to the aperture 84 in a fixed leaf 76 of the pneumatic.

Fig. 7 shows an alternate valve construction in which the ball valve 161 and fluted stem 183 are separate members. The ball 101 rests on the stem 103 which in turn rests on the disc 105. The cross section of the stem 103 is cross shaped to afford air passage. A bleed opening 187 is provided in the center of the disc and extends through the diaphragm 90. This valve construction operates generally in the same way as the construction illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 and will not be described separately.

In Fig. 10 there are shown more of the details of the driving mechanism for the player rolls and the novel pneumatically operated reversing mechanism therefor. In this player piano apparatus there is provided a supporting framework 110 for the rollers 28 and 22 which feed the player roll 18. The player roll 18 is originally wound on the roller 20 and is fed across the tracker bar 24 and wound up on the roller 22. At the end of play, the mechanism is reversed and the player roll 18 is rewound on the roller 20. The roller 20 is removably supported in the frame 110 by a drive shaft 112 which has a drive pulley 114 secured on the outer end thereof for rewinding the player roll. The roller 22 is supported in the framework 110 on a shaft 116 extending into a bracket 118 and held in place by a set screw 120.

The roller 22 has a disc gear member 122 supported thereon and arranged to be driven by a pinion gear 124.

The pinion gear 124 is supported on a shaft 126 which 7 extends through the framework 110 and through a supporting yoke 128. The shaft 126 supports a drive pulley 130 at the outer end thereof. The drive pulley 130 for the windup roller 22 is driven by the vacuum motor 38 (shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2) which includes a supporting framework 132 and bellows or other vacuum operated driving members of conventional design which are not shown. The vacuum motor 38 is arranged to drive the crank arm portion 134 of a drive shaft 136 which is supported on a bracket 138 on the framework 132. At the outer end of the drive shaft 136 there is supported a drive pulley 140. A drive chain 142 is positioned around the pulleys 130 and and over an idler pulley 144 which is supported on a shaft 146 extending from a supporting bracket 148 on the piano framework 110. On the drive shaft 126 for the pinion gear 124 there is positioned a freely rotating idler-drive pulley 149 having a drive pin or other suitable clutching member 150 secured thereon, The drive shaft 126 also has supported thereon a clutch member 158 having a drive pin or other suitable drive member 160.

The drive mechanism is provided with a shifting device which comprises a bellows or other pneumatic unit 162 which may be supported on a frame 132 of the vacuum motor 38. The bellows unit 162 is urged toward a normaily expanded position by a spring 164. The bellows unit 162 is provided with a sutiable conduit connection 166 extending to a valve (not shown) which may apply vacuum to the bellows unit 162 to cause the same to collapse. The bellows unit 162 has an arm 168 supported thereon which fits over a grooved portion 170 of the drive shaft 126 and is operable upon movement to shift the drive shaft 126, pinion gear 124, drive gear 130, and clutch member 158 axially to disengage the pinion gear 124 from the disc gear 122 and to engage the clutch member 158 with the idler-drive pulley 149.

In operation the pneumatics 48 are normally extended by gravity, as shown in Fig. 5. The actuator rods 50 of the movable leaves 78 of the pneumatics 48 are movable to engage the underside of the inner end of the keys 17 to actuate the hammer mechanism 58 to strike individual notes on the piano strings.

When a player roll 18 is placed on the player mechanism and the pedals 30 are pumped, the vacuum in the storage box 34 draws air through the motor 38 to move the roll 18 across the tracker bar 24. The vacuum box 34 also draws air from the vacuum chest 44 which is connected to the space adjacent thediaphragm 90 in the control valve 46 for the pneumatic 48. As long as the hole on the tracker bar 24 which corresponds to the tracker tube for a particular pneumatic is covered, the pressure on opposite sides of the diaphragm 90 is equalized through the bleed opening 94. In this position the valve 104 remains in contact with and closes the valve port 100. When the playe roll 18 moves a perforation over the hole corresponding to the tracker tube 52 air is drawn through the tube 52 into the recess 86 below the diaphragm 90. This causes a substantial pressure difference to occur across the diaphragm 90. The diaphragm is moved upward and the valve 104 moved to close the valve port 102 and open the valve port 100. When the valve port 100 is opened, the air within the pneumatic rubber sack 66 is withdrawn through the opening 84, passageway 108, valve port 100, and opening 98 in the valve casing 95. The withdrawal of air from the interior of the pneumatic causes air pressure on'the outside to collapse the pneumatic and move the movable leaf 78 to an upward position as shown in Fig. 6. This upward movement of the leaf 78 causes the actuator rod 50 to move upward and strike the underside of one of the keys 17 to actuate the hammer assembly 58 and strike a musical note. When the player roll 18 moves on and the hole corresponding to a tracker tube 52 is again covered, the air pressure on opposite sides of the diaphragm 90 is equalized through the bleed opening 94. The equalization of the pressure across the diaphragm 90 permits the valve 104 to move back to a position closing the valve port 100 and opening the valve port 102 When the valve port 102 is opened, air is permitted to enter the interior of the pneumatic and the movable leaf 78 is returned from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. 5. This actuation of the individual pneumatics 48 takes place in combinations and sequences determined by the pattern of perforations in the player roll 18 and may thus play any desired piece of music.

7 The forward and backward movement of the player roll can be more easily understood from the view shown in Fig. 10. A perforated'player roll carried on a roller 20 is positioned in the supporting framework 110 and supported'on the drive shaft 112. The player roll 18 is threaded across the tracker bar 24 and connected to the roller 22 for playingoperation. The vacuum motor38 drives the drive shaft 136' through its movement of the crank arm 134. The rotation of the drive shaft 136 causes the pulley 140 to rotate and move the drive chain 142 to rotate the drive pulley 130 and thus cause the drive shaft 126, the clutch member 158 and the pinion gear 124 to rotate. The idler-drive pulley 149 does not ordinarily rotate with the shaft 126. The rotation of the pinion gear 124, as just described, causes the gear disc 122 to rotate and turn the windup roller 22 at a relatively slow rate of speed. At the end of play of a player roll it is necessary to rewind the player roll on the roller 20. The pneumatic gear shift mechanism is actuated by actuating a valve (not shown) to apply vacuum to the bellows or pneumatic unit 162 to cause the same to collapse. The collapsing of the bellows unit 162 causes the arm 168 to move the drive shaft 126 axially to the left. This movement of the drive shaft 126 will cause the pinion gear 124 to be disengaged from the gear disc 122 to allow the windup roller 22 to rotate freely. At the same time the clutch member 158 will be operatively engaged with the idler-drive pulley 149 through the drive pins 150 and 160. With the clutch thus engaged a movement of the pulley 130 and shaft 126 by the vacuum motor will cause the pulley 149 to rotate and move the drive chain 152 to rotate the pulley 114 in a reverse or rewind direction. The rewinding movement of the pulley 114 causes the shaft 112 to be rotated at a relatively high rate of speed and the roller 20 to be rotated therewith to rewind the player roll. At the end of the rewind operation the release of the control valve for the conduit 166 will permit the bellows unit 162 to expand and shift the drive shaft 126, pulley 130, clutch member 158, and pinion gear 124 to the initial position shown in Fig. 10.

In Figs. 8 and 9 there is shown a modification of this player piano apparatus in which there is provided a means for controlling the actuation of the treble or bass keys by the pneumatic actuators. In this form of the invention, as the principal embodiment, vacuum is applied through the vacuum chests 44 to the valves 46 on the plurality of pneumatics 48. The valves 46 are individually controlled by the movement of the player roll 18 over the tracker bar 24 and individual pneumatics 48 are thereby moved to cause individual ones of the actuator rods 50 to move upward and strike the underside of respective ones of the keys 17 to strike selected musical notes. In this form of the invention however, the air chests 44 are divided by internal partitions 172 into separate chambers 174 and 176 respectively. The vacuum chambers 174 and 176 are arranged so that vacuum therein is applied to the pneumatics which operate either the treble or bass keys of the piano. The vacuum chambers 174 and 176 are connected by suitable conduits 178 and 180 respectively to one side of diaphragm operated valves 182 and 184. The valves 182 and 184 have bleed conduits 186 and 188 which are connected to suitable control valves such as a needle valve assembly 190 arranged for actuation by a pushbutton or other suitable manual operator 192. The valves 182 and 184 have a normally open position and are provided with adjustment screws 194 and 196 which determine the extent of valve opening and thus determine the vacuum applied to the respective vacuum chambers 174 and 176. The valves 182 and 184 are connected by suitable conduit connections 198 and 200 to a Y-connector 202 which is connected as at 204 to a T-conncctor 206. The T-connector 206 is provided with suitable conduit connectcions 208 and 210 which may be connected to the vacuum chamber 34 or may be connected directly to individual ones of the pedal operated vacuum pumps 32.

In operation the individual pneumatics and .control valves therefor function identically with the principal embodiment of the invention as previously described. In the form of the invention however, the normally open diaphragm valves 182 and 184 may be selected partially closed to regulate the application of vacuum to either of the chambers 174 and .176 and thus control the volume of the treble and bass notes separately. Thus if it is desired to accent the treble notes of a particular player roll the appropriate one of the diaphragm valves 182 and 184 may be actuated to cut down the application of vacuum to the pneumatics which actuate .the bass notes of the piano. Similarly if it is desired to accent the bass notes of the piano the diaphragm valve may be actuated to cut down the application of vacuum to the pneumatics which actuate the treble notes I claim:

1. In a player piano apparatus of the type having a keybed supporting keys for manual operation and having an automatic playing mechanism including a tracker bar with a plurality of holes adapted to be covered and uncovered by a player roll having selected perforations therein; a plurality of pneumatics corresponding in numbcr to a selected range of keys to be operated automatically and supported adjacent the inner edge of the keybed in parallel relation in two vertically staggered horizontal rows, said pneumatics each comprising a fixed leaf and a movable leaf surrounded by a flexible and collapsible sack having a diaphragm portion, an actuator rod supported on and extending vertically from each of said pneumatics to abut the underside of corresponding ones of said keys, a vacuum chest extending along each of said rows of pneumatics, a vacuum pump operatively connected to said vacuum chests, a plurality of pressure actuated valves connected to said pneumatics and to said vacuum chests and cooperating with said diaphragm portion of said sack to control the withdrawal of air from individual ones of said pneumatics, and a plurality of tracker tubes connecting individual ones of said valves to corresponding holes on said tracker bar.

2. In a player piano apparatus of the type having a plurality of action units actuated by keys for manual operation and having an automatic playing mechanism including a tracker bar with a plurality of holes adapted to be covered and uncovered by a player roll having selected perforations therein; a pair of longitudinally extending vertically spaced vacuum chests, a plurality of pneumatics supported on each of said vacuum chests in parallel relation in two vertically staggered horizontal rows, said pneumatics each comprising a fixed leaf and a movable leaf surrounded by a one-piece flexible and collapsible sack, an actuator rod supported on and extending vertically from each of said pneumatics and operatively connected to the corresponding action unit for actuating the same, a plurality of pressure actuated valves secured one to each of said pneumatics and interconnecting said vacuum chests and said pneumatics to control withdrawal of air from individual ones of said pneumatics, and a plurality of tracker tubes connecting individual ones of said valves to corresponding holes on said tracker bar.

3. In a player piano apparatus of the type havin" a keybed supporting keys for manual operation and having an automatic playing mechanism including a tracker bar with a plurality of holes adapted to be covered and uncovered by a player roll having selected perforations therein; a plurality of pneumatics corresponding in number to a selected range of keys to be operated automatically and supported adjacent the inner edge of the keybed in parallel relation in two vertically staggered horizontal rows, said pneumatics each comprising a fixed leaf and a movable leaf surrounded by a flexible and collapsible sack, an actuator rod supported on each of said movable leaves and extending vertically through the fixed leaf of each of said pneumatics to abut the underside of corresponding ones of said keys, a vacuum chest extending along each of said rows of pneumatics, a vacuum pump operatively connected to said vacuum chests, a plurality of pressure actuated valves connected to the fixed leaves of said pneumatics and to said vacuum chests to control the withdrawal of air from the individual ones of said 55 pneumatics, and a plurality of tracker tubes connecting individual ones of said valves to corresponding holes on said tracker bar.

4. In a player piano apparatus of the type having a keybed supporting keys for manual operation and having an automatic playing mechanism including a tracker bar with a plurality of holes adapted to be covered and uncovered by a player roll having selected perforations therein; a pair of longitudinally extending vertically spaced vacuum chests supported adjacent the inner edge of the keybed, a plurality of pneumatics supported on each of said vacuum chests in parallel relation in two vertically staggered horizontal rows and corresponding in number to a selected range of keys to be operated automatically, said pneumatics each comprising a fixed leaf and a movable leaf surrounded by a flexible and collapsiblc sack, an actuator rod supported on each of said movable leaves and extending vertically through the fixed leaf of each of said pneumatics to abut the underside of corresponding ones of said keys, a plurality of pressure actuated valves secured one to each of said pneumatics and interconnecting said vacuum chests and said pneumatics to control withdrawal of air from individual ones of said pneumatics, each of said valves including a connection to one of said pneumatics and to said vacuum chest and an air inlet opening, a valve member controlling said air inlet opening and the opening to the pneumatic, a diaphragm for operating said valve member, and a plurality of tracker tubes connecting individual ones of said valves to corresponding holes on said tracker bar for selective application of pressure to the valve diaphragm and thereby to control the operation of said pneumatics.

5. In a player piano apparatus of the type having a keybed supporting keys for manual operation and having an automatic playing mechanism including a tracker bar with a plurality of holes adapted to be covered and uncovered by a player roll having selected perforations therein; a pair of longitudinally extending vertically spaced vacuum chests supported adjacent the inner edge of the keybed, a plurality of pneumatics supported on each of said vacuum chests in parallel relation in two vertically staggered horizontal rows and corresponding in number to a selected range of keys to be operated automatically, said pneumatics each comprising a fixed leaf and a movable leaf surrounded by a flexible and collapsible sack, an actuator rod supported on each of said movable leaves and extending vertically through the fixed leaf of each of said pneumatics to abut the underside of corresponding ones of said keys, a plurality of pressure actuated valves supported on said vacuum chests and connected one to each of said pneumatics and operable to control withdrawal of air from individual ones of said pneumatics, and a plurality of tracker tubes connecting individual ones of said valves to corresponding holes on said tracker bar.

6. In a player piano apparatus of the type having a keybed supporting keys for manual operation and having an automatic playing mechanism including a tracker bar with a plurality of holes adapted to be covered and uncovered by a player roll having selected perforations therein; a pair of longitudinally extending vertically spaced vacuum chests supported adjacent the inner edge of the keybed, a plurality of pneumatics supported on each of said vacuum chests in parallel relation in two vertically staggered horizontal rows and corresponding in number to a selected range of keys to be operated automatically, said pneumatics each comprising a fixed leaf and a movable leaf surrounded by a flexible and collapsible sack, an actuator rod supported on each of said movable leaves and extending vertically through the fixed leaf of each of said pneumatics to abut the underside of corresponding ones of said keys, each of said fixed leaves having a cavity therein with an outlet opening therefrom and having an opening therethrough into said sack, a

9 diaphragmclosing said cavity, a valve casing fitting over each of said fixed leaves and covering said diaphragm, said valve casing having a passageway connected to said vacuum chest adjacent said diaphragm and extending to the opening in said fixed leaf, said casing having a first valve port in said passageway and a second valve port open to the atmosphere, a valve member movable between said valve ports and arranged for operation by said diaphragm, and a plurality of tracker tubes connecting the outlet openings of said fixed leaves to corresponding holes on said tracker bar for selective application of pressure to the valve diaphragm for actuation of said valve member to control the operation of said pneumatics.

7. In a player piano apparatus of the type having a keybed supporting keys for manual operation and having an automatic playing mechanism including a tracker bar with a plurality of holes adapted to be covered and uncovered by a player roll having selected perforations therein; a pair of longitudinally extending vertically spaced vacuum chests supported adjacent the inner edge of the keybed, a plurality of pneumatics supported on each of said vacuum chests in parallel relation in two vertically staggered horizontal rows and corresponding in number to a selected range of keys to be operated automatically, said pneumatics each comprising a fixed leaf and a movable leaf surrounded by a' one piece flexible and collapsible rubber sack, an actuator rod supported on each of said movable leaves and extending vertically through the fixed leaf of each of said pneumatics to abut the underside of corresponding ones of said keys, said sack having a sleeve portion through which said actuator rod extends, each of said fixed leaves having a cavity therein with an outlet opening therefrom and having an opening therethrough into said sack, said sack having a diaphragm portion closing said cavity, a valve casing fitting over each of said fixed leaves and covering said diaphragm portion, said valve casing having a passageway connected to said vacuum chest adjacent said diaphragm and extending to the opening in said fixed leaf, said casing having a first valve port in said passageway and a second valve port open to the atmosphere, a valve member movable between said valve ports and arranged for operation by said diaphragm, a plurality of tracker tubes connecting the outlet openings of said fixed leaves to corresponding holes on said tracker bar for selective application of pressure to the valve diaphragm for actuation of said valve members to control the operation of said pneumatics, and said sacks each having a sleeve portion surrounding and sealing the ends of said tracker tubes connected to said fixed leaves.

8. In a player piano apparatus of the type having a keybed supporting keys for manual operation and having an automatic playing mechanism including a tracker bar with a plurality of holes adapted to be covered and uncovered by a player roll having selected perforations therein; a pneumatic comprising a fixed leaf and a movable leaf surrounded by a flexible and collapsible sack, an actuator rod supported on said movable leaf and extending vertically through said fixed leaf and through said sack for actuating a key of the piano, said fixed leaf having a cavity therein with an outlet opening therefrom and having an opening therethrough into said sack, a diaphragm closing said cavity, a valve casing fitting over said fixed leaf and covering said diaphragm, said valve casing having a passageway adapted to be connected to a vacuum source and being adjacent said diaphragm and extending to the opening in said fixed leaf, said casing having a first valve port in said passageway and a second valve port open to the atmosphere, a valve member movable between said valve ports and arranged for operation by said diaphragm, and the outlet opening of said fixed leaf being adapted to be connected to a hole on said tracker bar for selective application of pressure to the valve diaphragm for actuation of said valve member to control the operation of said pneumatic.

'9. In a player'piano apparatus of the type having a keybed supporting keys for manual operation and having an automatic playing mechanism including a tracker bar with a plurality of holes adapted to be covered and uncovered by a player roll having selected perforations therein; a pneumatic comprising a fixed leaf and movable leaf surrounded by a one-piece flexible and collapsible sack, an actuator rod supported on said movable leaf and extending vertically through said fixed leaf and through said sack for actuating a key of the piano, said sack having a sleeve portion through which said actuator rod extends, said fixed leaf having a cavity therein with an outlet opening therefrom and having an opening therethrough into said sack, said sack having a diaphragm portion closing said cavity, a valve casing fitting over said fixed leaf and covering said diaphragm portion, said valve casing having a passageway adapted to be connected to a vacuum source and being adjacent said diaphragm and extending to the opening in said fixed leaf, said casing having a first valve port in said passageway and a second valve port open to the atmosphere, a valve member movable between said valve ports and arranged for operation by said diaphragm, and said sack having a sleeve at the outlet opening of said fixed leaf adapted to receive a tube connected to a hole on said tracker bar for selective application of pressure to the valve diaphragm for actuation of said valve member to control the operation of said pneumatic.

10. A pneumatic for a player piano including in combination, a rigid fixed leaf having an aperture therein and a rigid movable leaf, a flexible and collapsible sack enclosing said leaves, an actuator rod supported on and movable by said movable leaf and extending through the aperture in said fixed leaf and through said sack, said fixed leaf having a cavity therein with an outlet opening therefrom and having an opening therethroughinto the interior of said sack, a diaphragm closing said cavity, and having a bleed aperture therein, a valve casing fitting over a portion of said fixed leaf and covering said diaphragm, said valve casing having a passageway adapted to be connected to a vacuum system and communicating with said diaphragm and extending to the opening in said fixed leaf, said casing having a first valve port in said passageway and having a second valve port opened to atmosphere, a valve member movable between said valve ports and arranged for operation' by said diaphragm, and said outlet opening in said fixed leaf being adapted to be connected to a tracker tube system for control by a perforated player roll to provide selective application of pressure to the valve diaphragm to actuate said valve member and effect the movement of said movable leaf and rod.

11. A pneumatic for a player piano including in combination, a rigid fixed leaf having an aperture therein and a rigid movable leaf, a one-piece flexible and collapsible rubber sack enclosing said leaves, an actuator rod supported on and movable by said movable leaf and extending through the aperture in said fixed leaf and through said sack, said sack having a sleeved portion through which said rod extends, said fixed leaf having a cavity therein with an outlet opening therefrom and having an opening therethrough into the interior of said sack, and having a bleed aperture therein, a valve casing fitting over a portion of said fixed leaf and covering said diaphragm portion, said valve casing having a passageway adapted to be connected to a vacuum system and communicating with said diaphragm and extending to the opening in said fixed leaf, said casing having a first valve port in said passageway and having a second valve port opened to atmosphere, a valve member movable between said valve ports and arranged for operation by said diaphragm, and said outlet opening in said fixed leaf being adapted to be connected to a tracker tube system for control by a perforated player roll to provide selective application of pressure to the valve diaphragm to actuate said valve member and effect the movement of said movable leaf and rod.

12. A pneumatic for a player piano including in combination, a rigid plastic fixed leaf having an aperture therein and a rigid plastic movable leaf, a one-piece flexible and collapsible rubber sack enclosing said leaves and having sleeved openings in the top and side walls thereof, an actuator rod supported on and movable by said movable leaf and extending through the aperture in said fixed leaf and through the top sleeved opening in said sack, said fixed leaf having a cavity molded therein with an outlet opening therefrom aligned with the side sleeved opening in said sack and having an opening from said cavity into the interior .of sad sack, said sack having a diaphragm portion closing said cavity and having a bleed aperture therein, a molded plastic valve casing fitting over a portion of said fixed leaf and covering said diaphragm portion, said valve casing having an opening adapted to be connected to a vacuum system, said casing having an inner wall with a valve port therein and defining a passageway open to said diaphragm and extending to said casing opening, said casing having an outer wall with a valve port open to atmosphere and having a passage extending from said first named valve port through the opening through said fixed leaf, a valve member movable between said valve ports and arranged for operation by said diaphragm, said sack having a slit along the length of the bottom wall thereof for insertion of said plastic leaves, means sealing said slit against leakage of air therethrough, and said outlet opening in said fixed leaf being adapted to be connected to a tracker tube system for control by a perforated player roll to provide selective application of the pressure to the valve diaphragm to actuate said valve member and effect the movement of said movable leaf and actuator rod.

.13. In a player piano apparatus of the type having a keybed supporting keys for manual operation and having an automatic mechanism including a tracker bar with a plurality of holes adapted to be covered and uncovered by a player roll having selected perforations therein; a plurality of pneumatics corresponding in number to a selected range of keys to be operated automatically, said pneumatics being supported adjacent the inner edge of the keybed, an actuator rod supported on and extending vertically from each of said pneumatics to abut the underside of corresponding ones of said keys, an elongated vacuum chest extending adjacent said pneumatics and operatively connected thereto, said vacuum chest having an internal partition defining separate vacuum chambers for application of vacuum to the pneumatics controlling the bass and treble keys respectively of the piano, a vacuum pump operatively connected to each of the chambers of said vacuum chest, a plurality of pressure actuated valves connected to said pneumatics and to said vacuum chest to control the withdrawal of air from individual ones of said pneumatics, a plurality of tracker tubes connecting individual ones of said valves to corresponding holes on said tracker bar, a diaphragm operated valve interposed between said pump and said vacuum chest to selectively control the application of vacuum to said vacuum chambers, and said diaphragm operated valve being provided with means to vary the extent of valve opening to vary the intensity of the vacuum applied to said pneumatics.

14. In a player piano apparatus of the type having a keybed supporting keys for manual operation and having an automatic playing mechanism including a tracker bar with a plurality of holes adapted to be covered and uncovered by a player roll having selected perforatIons therein; first and second rollers supported adjacent said tracker bar and arranged to feed a player roll thereacross, a gear disc on said first roller, a pinion gear engaging said gear disc for driving said first roller in a forward direction, a shaft for said pinion gear supported for axial movement, a drive pulley on said shaft, vacuum motor means arranged to drive said drive pulley to rotate said first roller in a forward direction, a drive shaft for said second roller and having a drive pulley thereon, an idler-drive pulley supported on said first roller drive shaft, a drive chain connecting said idlerdrive pulley and said second roller drive pulley, a clutch on said first roller drive shaft, and a. bellows member operatively connected to said first roller drive shaft and operable upon actuation to move the shaft axially to disengage said pinion gear from said gear disc and to engage said clutch with said idler-drive pulley to release said first roller and to drive said second roller in a reverse direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 801,270 Sampere Oct. 10, 1905 1,038,498 Doman Sept. 10, 1912 1,402,595 Goldspink Jan. 2, 1922 1,728,191 Votey Sept. 17, 1929 1,874,663 Verlinden Aug. 30, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 462,017 Great Britain Mar. 1, 1937 

